Initiatives and Projects Social Media Engagement We significantly expanded our presence on social media in 2015–2016 with the rollout of the Graduway alumni network platform across a number of departments. By combining the power of U of T Engineering’s brand with the connectivity of social networks, Graduway enhances our ability to connect with our global community of alumni and facilitates further engagement through mentorship and volunteer opportunities. It also provides us with key data on industry affiliations, which in turn could increase opportunities for research collaborations. After successful beta-testing in EngSci, we introduced the platform in CivE, ChemE and MIE.

Leadership Annual Giving, Class Giving and Special Projects Annual gifts of between $1,000 and $25,000 enhance our research and educational programs in many ways, from improvements to laboratory facilities to scholarships and funds for student co-curricular activities. This year, a Leadership Annual Giving (LAG) Officer was hired to give special attention to this important class of donors. The role includes analyzing and improving current stewardship practices, and developing a Class Giving strategy to better promote and support peer-to-peer fundraising.

Alumni Events and Engagement The cornerstone of our U of T Engineering community is our diverse and accomplished network of more than 48,000 alumni around the world. We invite them to see SkuleTM not only as a place where they have earned a degree, but also as an ongoing resource for ideas, networking and partnerships. To nurture this engagement, we create opportunities for them to connect with faculty members, students, fellow alumni and industry partners, including learning events and volunteer opportunities. These activities strengthen our alumni network, cultivate new collaborations, highlight our commitment to excellence and encourage alumni to support our vision. In 2015–2016, we held 84 networking and professional development events for alumni around the world. These events included: –– A Spring Reunion event for alumni who graduated between five and 15 years ago at the Steam Whistle Brewery. Nearly 200 young alumni attended the event, which included brewery tours and a presentation on identifying your online brand. –– The Engineering Society Heritage Awards Celebration, which included alumni who held leadership roles in the Engineering Society and current Engineering Society leaders. Approximately 150 people attended the event, including 52 alumni. –– Four BizSkule events in Toronto, Calgary and California’s Silicon Valley on topics such as the future

of health care, the new sharing economy and deep genomics. BizSkule showcases engineering leadership in business through keynote speakers and industry panellists ranging from startup founders to global executives.

We also continued to engage alumni in our recruitment and outreach programs. For example, we invited key alumni to serve as ambassadors in student recruitment campaigns in Vancouver, Palo Alto and San Francisco, and Hong Kong, and at post-offer receptions in Vancouver, Dubai and Singapore. These opportunities enable our alumni to share their SkuleTM experiences with potential students and offer those students insights into the boundless opportunities that a U of T Engineering degree offers. We also grew our Alumni Mentorship Program in 2015–2016, with 161 mentors and 280 mentees taking part — increases of 33 per cent and 16 per cent respectively over the previous year. This program, which is open to third- and fourth-year students (including students on PEY internships), fosters valuable relationships between Skule™ alumni and students. It also allows alumni to give back in a unique and rewarding way by sharing their knowledge and experience with students who are making important decisions about their engineering careers. To increase awareness of the positive impact alumni volunteerism has on current students and faculty, we launched a communications campaign to promote

94 Chapter 7: Advancement | Annual Report 2016 | Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering